Pliable humidifying sheet material



Aug. 9, 1932 R, McKEE 1,871,419

PLIABLE HUMIDIFYING SHEET MATERIAL Filed April 11, 1929 11v VENTOR PAL/ 11 If Ma K6:

BY CI .Q w

A TTORNEY Patented Aug. '9, 1932 RALPH n. mcxEE, or JERSEY crrY, NEW JERSEY PLIABLE HUMIDIFYING SHEET MATERIAL Application filed 'April 11,

The present invention relates to pliable humidifying sheet materials, and more particularly to pliable materials carrying humidifying a ents in dry state and capable 6 of being placer? in contact with articleswhich are to be maintained in a humid condition without being deleteriously affected thereby.

Heretofore articles or products such as cigarettes, cigars, candy edibles and the like '1 have been maintained in a moist condition by placing in the cabinet, show case, container or the like an absorbent containing water or any aqueous solution. Sometimes a sponge or a similar absorbent object was utilized as a reservoir for holding water and giving it off to the surrounding environment as the latter tended to become dry. The use of liquids and wetted absorbents was objectionable, as is well known, and various proposals were made to overcome the inherent disadvantages. Of these various proposals one of the more important was the suggestion of they utilization of divers organic and inorganic chemicals capable of giving oil? water. These chemicals were filled into jars and other vessels which were placed in cabinets or show cases for preventing the atmosphere therein from becoming dry. The use of jars'or the like was inconvenient and some of the chemicals tended to dust ofl. onto the articles being moistened and to give such articles a salt taste while some other chemicals tended to emit undesirable odors. For a variety of reasons, consequently, the use of a mass of chemicals held in a vessel in open contact with the articlesbeing preserved was objectionable. Attempts were made to overcome the shortcoming of the aforesaid proposals byproviding porous solid bodies which would absorb large quantities of water in a liquid condition in their pores. These porous bodies were damp and wet and were undesirable like wet sponges mentioned hereinbefore.

The aforesaid advantages are so serious that cigar manufacturers, for instance, have refused to sell retailers more cigars than can be sold within a rel tively short period of time. If 'a retailer uys too large a supply, the boxes of cigars stand on the shelf for so 1929. Serial No. 354,381.

the cigars have been unsatisfactory and have fallen into disfavor and the brands of those -cigars have a tendency to get a bad reputation. Manufacturers of cigars or the like have been faced 'with the aforesaid problem for a long time and in spite of the many proposals made to solve this problem, all at- 80 tempts thus far made, as far as I'am aware, has been unsatisfactory for one reason or other. Among the more important suggested proposals as noted hereinabove were absorbents and chemicals. Absorbents were intend- 65 ed, as is well known, to hold water in the liquid state and to give off the water vapor to the surrounding atmosphere. In addition to other objections, a humidor of the absorbent type could not be incorporated within a container such as a box of cigars. Chemicals, as mentioned heretofore, have been attempted to be used for maintaining the atmosphere within cigar show cases or the like, in a humid condition by placing a mass of chemicals in an open jar or vessel which'was positioned inside of the show case. In practice it was found that the chemicals tended to dust out of the jar into contact with the cigars or the like in the show case and thus spoil the articles particularly by giving them a salty taste. The art consequently has never adopted chemical humidors particularly in close contact with cigars as inside of a cigar box.

All prior efforts to provide individual humidors for cigar boxes, as far as I am aware, have been unsatisfactory and unsuccessful.

'I have invented a sheet material which carries humidifying agents in dry condition and 0 which is capable of being wrapped about or 9 of being placed in intimate and direct contact with cigars, cigarettes or other articles that are to be maintained in a humid state without deleteriously affecting the said articles. It is Within the contemplation of my invention to avoid all the disadvantages of prior humidifying means as noted hereinabove and to provide an improved humidifying material-which is flexible or pliable, 100 which is sanitary, which is odorless and dry easy to use; i

From .tfe following-description of a ferred enrbod' vantagesian the drawings pretfvof my invention other adt-ares. will be apparent. In

0 r Fig. l is apl anyiewfoi a-sheet of material a container with aembodyin my invention, part of'the sheet being turned to showjhe-interior thereof;

. Fig. 2 is a sectionalview taken on the line 22ofFig.1, I

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified embodiment of; y} invention and 1 Fig. 4 represents g-diagrammatic view of I ,ECQ of my humidifying sheet material wrap ed about articles which are to bef lrnaintained in a moist condition, partsof the container and the sheet material being broken. away to-show the internal arrangementI f-Q r In the drawing the-numeral 1 designates a sheet of absorbent material preferably of a foraminousmaterial or of a bibulous, fibrous nature like botting paper. Within this absorbent material is incorporated a multiplicity of. solid particles carrying water. Although a variety of materials may be used as a humidifying agent for incorporation in material 1, I prefer to use an inorganic salt containing water of hydration such as Glaubers salt (Na SO ,10H O).

The sheet material 1 containing a humidifying agent is preferably encased or enclosed completely within an envelope of flexible ma terial which is capable of permitting the passage of water vapor from the absorbent material to the exterior and, at the same time, of preventing the passage of dust from the absorbent material. The envelope may be constituted of suitable material and made in an appropriate way. In Fig. 1 I have illustrated the envelope made of a rear portion 3 of tissue paper, muslin or fine cheese cloth with sealing margins 4 which can be united to the face of sheet material 1 such as by glue, paste or the like. The front portion of the envelope is made by a cover 5 of tissue paper or fine meshed cloth which is sealed to the sheet materialpreferably at the margins or borders 4. Instead of this construction a regular tissue paper envelope can be used in which sheet material 1 containing Glaubers salt or the like is placed. The flap of the envelope is used to seal the sheet material 1 within the envelope. v In the sheet material illustrated, the humidifying agentis Glaubers salt and is pres? ent in an amount of about two-thirds gram per square inch. The amount of humiditying material may, of course, be varied depending on the particular circumstances but in practice I prefer to use a bibulous paper capable of carrying upwards of about onehalf a gram per square. inch. For instance, a sheet of my material having a face about 8" by about 9" and bein about fi" thick, carries say 50 grains of Iaubers saltand is suitable for use in humidifying a cigar box containing 50 cigars or a candy box of approximately the same size. If 50 grams of Glauberls salt (Na SO ,10H O) is used, there are 28 grams of water potentially available for humidifying purposes. When the aforesaid sheet containing 50 grams'of'Glaubers salt is used with a cigar box having a volume of about 1400 c. c. my humidifying' sheet contains sufficient water vapor to change the relative humidity within the box from approximately'15% to 60% about 2500 times.- In other words, the-box can be opened and closed about 2500 times without the cigars drying out. Air, of course, is continually leaking-in and out of the cigar box,

the loss of-rmoisture from the cigar occurs only when the air about it becomes dry, that is, of lower relative humidity.

In Fig. 3 a modified embodiment of my humidifying sheet material is illustratedwhich is constituted of an absorbent material 10 containing a humidifying agent 11. Upon each side of the material 10 a moisture pervious cover 12'is placed and secured. A preferred manner of securing cover 12 to sheet material 10 is to paste or glue the border l about the periphery of said sheet material. In this way the absorbent material is practically completely sealed by the superposed covers 12. Except for the modifications my humidifying sheet material is just the same as the form described in connection with .Figs. 1 and 2.

Th'ehumidifying agent, say Glaubers salt, is incorporated within the absorbent material by taking the blotting paper and passing it through a-strong or an approximately saturated solution of the salt being used, allowing it to dry superficially and then wrapping it with tissue paper and pasting the tissue paper on the blotting paper so that it covers all edges. It is desirable in such a case to see that the adhesive used is not used over the entire surface of thetissuepaper but only on selected margins or lines. Otherwise the diffusion of moisture from the device to the box in which it is located would be slowed adhesive. c

It is to be observed that my invention pro- 'videsa convenient dry sheet material which can easily and readily be wrapped about cigarettes in a package so as to keepthem in a humid condition without deleteriously affecting them or used as a liner for bottom or sides or both bottom and sides of a box containing cigars for the same purpose. My improved humidifying sheet material can also be used in closed show cases for covering the shelves, upon whichboxesof cigars or other tobacco products are placed, so as to maintain the show case in a humid condition and to prevent the cigars or other similar products from drying out. i

It is to be notedthat instead of using Glaubers salt, sodium phosphate (Na2HPO ,12H O) or sodium carbonate (Na CO ,10H O)- may be employed. Glallbers salt gives a relative humidity at temperatures normally prevailing within inhabited quarters of about 70%. Sodium phosphate gives a relative humidity of about 65% but after a loss of one fourth of its water it gives only about Sodium carbonate gives a relative humidity of about 65% until nine-tenths of its water has been removed, and then a' very much lower humidity.

I claim:

1. A flexible hu'midifying sheet material of dry character comprising a body of ab- 'sorbentfibrous .material having large .tace

. areas and having relatively thin edges, a multiplicity of drysolid chemical particles incorporated in said fibrous material, and thin fibrous lining covering at least said two faces of said body of fibrous material and being pervious to moisture and impervious to dust of said chemical particles, said sheet material being free from liquid water.

2. -A flexible humidifying sheet material of dry character comprising a body of bibu lous sheet material containing -a' humiditying agent indrystate capable of evolving water vapor'and an envelope of thin fibrous material encasing said body of sheet material and permitting the passage of water vapor but preventing the passage of dust, said sheet material being free from liquid water.

3. A pliable humidifying sheet material of dry character capable of being Wrapped in direct contact with the. article to be main tained in moist -condition comprising a sheet blotting paper impregnated with dry Glauberss salt and a tissue paper envelope encasg said blotting paper, said sheet material begiggreefrom liquid water.

dry c aracter capable of being wrapped in directcontact with the article to be mainliable humidifying sheet material of tainedin moist condition comprising-a sheet I humidity, anda thin envelope of fine-meshed, 8;) '7 V fibrous material covering at least one side of said porous sheet in such a manner as to permit the passage of watenvapor but to prevent the passage of saltdust, said sheet material being free from liquid water.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' RALPH 'H. MCKEE. 

